Solitude
by cafuneharry
Summary: Erin Hardy is a promising Auror who joins the Order of the Phoenix after Dumbledore dies. Erin's life is turned upside down when she is required to work with new people and face what war brings. Sirius's life is changing too but he is more willing to fight back than ever. Sirius Black x OC.
1. Chapter 1

One

It was a quiet summer morning and the sun was shining brightly in the sky. Warm days like that one weren't very common in London, therefore, when one appeared it had to be enjoyed. However, Erin wasn't able of doing so. Only a few days ago she had received one of the worst news of her life: Albus Dumbledore had been murdered by Severus Snape. Erin had never liked him while she studied at Hogwarts but she never thought he would be capable of doing something like that.

She had been waiting for a little while, sat in a small restaurant in Diagon Alley. She was starting to worry about the person she had to meet there but he had never let her down so she stayed. When he finally arrived, Erin had already ordered a tea to make the waiting easier.

''Thank you for your patience, Erin.'' He said as he arrived.

''No problem.'' She answered while standing up.

She stretched her hand, politely, to the man who had been her boss in the last years, Kingsley Shacklebot. It had been a long time since they had seen each other and Erin wished the circumstances were different.

''How are you? ''Erin asked sitting down again.

''We've had better days, right?''

She nodded with a sad smile on her face. The truth was that she was afraid of what would happen from that moment. Hogwarts was no longer a safe place for anyone and neither would be the Ministry soon. Dark times were coming, she could feel it.

''Why have we met here, sir? '' She asked, confused.

''I thought this would be a nice place.'' Kingsley said. ''You don't need to call me sir; we've talked about it plenty of times. There is something I need to ask you.''

She looked at him with expectation. Erin didn't know what he could want from her.

''I'm afraid things are getting harsh now. There are going to be a lot of changes as well.'' He explained. ''A _muffliato_ has been casted so I can tell you what I'm up to. I've been chosen to protect the muggle Prime Minister. ''

Erin had her eyes wide open, surprised. Everything had turned dangerous since a couple years ago due to Voldemort's return but muggles needing protection from wizards was something else.

''You won't be the Auror's chief anymore.''

''I'd still be. ''Kingsley clarified. ''But I'm not omnipresent, that's why I need you and many others. You know about the Order and it's pretty clear you want to join it.''

She nodded and took a sip of her tea.

''You are one of the best aurors of your promotion, perhaps the best. I'm going to grant you your wish but maybe not in the way that you want. You won't be taking part of field missions.''

''But'' She started doubting what she was going to say. ''What would I be doing then? I've never done anything else.''

She had never been left out from any mission that required her skills. She had hardly done paperwork so she couldn't imagine what he wanted her to do in the Order if it didn't mean fighting Voldermort and his followers.

''The task I'm given to you is quite important anyway, do you understand? There are a lot of people we can trust in the Order, Erin but you are the right option for this job. They've accepted so it's up to you. ''

''Fine.'' Erin sighed.

She was going to do whatever Kingsley asked her to do as she had always done before. In addition, it was the Order of the Fenix, Dumbledore himself had founded it. How could she say no?

''We shall enjoy our meal, then. ''She spoke. ''We may not have free time in the following months. ''

''You are right. ''Kingsley sounded a bit worried.

''What do I have to do exactly?''

All the mystery was eating her alive, but at the same time she was proud of what she'd achieved. It hadn't been easy to be noticed amongst so many proud Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. Erin could be brave too after all.

''You'll be my messenger, the spokesperson of any communication between myself and the Order and vice versa. You can intervene too, as long as is necessary. ''

It sounded to her as if she was going to be an owl but she didn't say a thing.

''You have another task but you'll understand it better when I take you to the headquarters tomorrow.''

Kingsley didn't give her any more details during that morning. They talked about their respective families, and his boss recommended Erin to say goodbye to her family and friends. The following day, she will be going away although she didn't know where she was heading. Erin did as she had been told but she stopped first to buy an ice cream at Fortescue. She indulged herself, just for once. She wasn't going to have a normal summer and she knew it; nobody knew when the war will end. They didn't even know if it would end. Erin enjoyed every single lick of her chocolate mint ice cream as if it was the first time she had tasted it.

She walked peacefully to her parent's shop, located in a street nearby Diagon Alley. The sun was still warming her naked arms. Erin had always loved summer, going to the beach, walking by the shore...everything she couldn't enjoy at the moment. She was willing to leave it aside.

She entered the shop's door, painted in a dark green tone and a bell ringed. It made the same sound every time a costumer walked in so her parents knew when someone entered. The shop was a bit chaotic; there were hanging plants in the ceiling and loads of shelves full of floral plants, aromatic ones and others. Everything you needed if you wanted to study herbology was there. Her parents were rather proud of her job. Erin thought that somehow she had let them down by not choosing to help them with the store. It would've been easier and she knew it, but she didn't want it easy. She wanted a job that allowed her to feel fulfilled and help others at the same time.

''Mum, it's me!'' She shouted when she passed the entrance.

The shop was empty at that hour so Erin grabbed her wand and hanged a closed sign on the door. She wanted privacy to talk to her parents. Turning around, she saw a head rearing from the central corridor. Her mum's face, Katherine's face, was unmistakable.

"Erin!''She said smiling joyfully.

She stepped of the ladder where she was standing and both met in the middle of the shop. They hugged and Erin felt her mother's comforting hands on her back. This gave her all the strength she needed. She wished she'd hugged her days before.

''Are you okay, honey? ''Her mother asked as they broke the embrace.

''More or less. ''She answered. Her mother touched her own blonde hair, as blonde as her daughter's. ''I guess you've heard about Dumbledore.''

The woman's eyes reflected sadness.

''Yes, it's everywhere now. We can't believe it.''

Erin felt the same; it was unbelivable that someone as important as Dumbledore had died in that way. The details of his death hadn't been revealed to the general public but she was sure people had already elaborated their own theories.

''Are your friends alright?''

''Yes. I've seen Kingsley today. The Weasleys are okay. ''Erin was particularly worried about Fred and George, who had been her friends since first year. ''Harry is fine too, as Hermione and the rest. Hogwarts is no longer a safe place. ''

 _Had it been a safe place anyway, all the previous years?_

Her mother looked horrified.

''What will you do?''

Katherine was aware that Erin's job meant revealing secrets was forbidden but she still asked. Her daughter understood how worried her parents were ever time something serious happened. Fearing for her safety was completely normal but after more than three years they should've got used to it.

''There's something I have to do, mum. That's why I came; I do not know how much it will last. ''Erin leaned against the shelves for a moment. ''I won't have time to visit you and dad.''

She wished he had been there too.

''The only thing we have ever wished is that you never had to live a war as we did. ''Her mother said, referring to her and her husband. ''And now you'll have to fight.''

''Everyone is going to fight back. ''Erin corrected. ''If it is not safe for you and dad to be here I'll warn you.''

''Are you leaving now?''

Erin didn't want to leave her parents. She had rarely seen them in the last six months, and she hadn't had time to have a social life either. In moments like that, she missed her life as a Hogwarts student and all the freedom she'd had. At least, her job was reassuring.

''I'm going to see dad with you. We'll have dinner and I'll go to my place to pick some things. I'll be leaving tomorrow.''

Katherine nodded. She had glanced down in a way that let Erin know she understood but didn't share the risk that her job implied. They had a very different lifestyle.

Erin couldn't help but wonder what the following day would bring her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

Erin was standing still in front of a line of buildings made of grey and white bricks. They all had three floors and a black door at the right. It looked like a muggle neighbourhood but there was something odd about the flats. The first block was number 11 and the second one was the number 13.

''What about number twelve?'' She asked Kingsley, who was by her side.

They had met there quite late, it was almost six o'clock and the day was horrendous compared to the previous day. The sky was completely covered by black clouds; it was going to rain sooner or later.

''That's a good question. '' Kingsley started to say. ''What I'm about to reveal, Erin, makes you a secondary keeper. The number 12 of Grimmauld Place is hidden under the _Fidelus_ charm. This is the headquarters of the Order at the moment. ''

Erin's breathing stopped for a second. The fidelus was an extremely difficult and powerful charm that was used to keep a location from the eyes of others, so it couldn't be found. Now that the secret had been revealed she was also a keeper.

''How many people know about this?''

''Too many, I'm afraid.''

''Then the power of the charm will increase. ''Erin noted. ''It won't be safe for anyone if there are too many secondary keepers. ''

Kingsley turned around to look at her while he moved his head. He seemed a bit annoyed.

''We don't have another choice.''

Then, he raised his wand and a third building appeared in the middle of the ones Erin had seen before. They had seemed to be together but there was obviously a lot more to see. The number 12 of Grimmauld Place was identical to the others although its facade was darker. Erin had been staring the whole time with her mouth partially open, how powerful had the person who designed that for first time been? Magic would never cease to impress her.

''Now that you've seen it you can go in and out on your own. And of course, you mustn't tell anyone. ''

''Of course'' She was convinced. ''Am I going to stay here? ''

''Yes."

Erin picked up her bag from the floor and started to walk past him. She had a lot of questions.

''Is someone living here already? ''

''You'll find out now. ''

The door opened and Erin saw a dark, large corridor. She could only hear their steps echoing as they walked, Erin was behind Kingsley, looking at everything her eyes could reach. There were a couple of paintings hanged and a lot of doors at one side and the other. At the end, there was a big staircase and a frame at its right side with a curtain hiding whatever there was underneath it. Undoubtedly, the place looked fancy but a bit strange at the same time. Everything was decorated with carpets and tapestries; it looked nothing like her tiny flat or her parents' house.

''This looks so Slytherin. '' Erin said when they were reaching the end of the corridor.

''That's because it belonged to a family of Slytherins.''

Erin turned around immediately, raising her head to see where the voice had come from. It was pretty clear it hadn't been Kingsley who had spoken because the voice sounded deeper than his. She wasn't able to recognise who the voice belonged to until she saw a tall and skinny man coming down the staircase. His hair was long enough to reach his shoulders, he had a beard and his eyes had the same colour as his hair, she could see that. Erin knew that face but it took her a moment to process it. That man was Sirius Black. It made sense she hadn't recognised him at first because he looked quite different from the pictures. The last time Erin had seen him in the newspapers he had looked wasted away, with his eyes sunken and his skin totally pale. However, that man walked with elegance and his eyes were shining full of life. She had never had the chance to see him in person until that day.

''Erin, this is Sirius Black owner of this house and member of the Order. '' Her boss introduced him. ''Sirius, this is Erin Hardy, our last incorporation. ''

Sirius finished walking down the stairs and stopped next to Erin. She extended her hand to stretch his, as she always did when she was introduced to someone.

''Nice to meet you.''

He stretched her hand without looking away, more intensely than Erin expected.

''Nice to meet you too.'' He said in return and then looked to Kingsley. ''You didn't tell me she was that young.''

Erin blushed even though she had no reason to. She was about to say she was there and listening as well, but Kingsley spoke first.

''Dumbledore recommended her. She had been working for the ministry for a few years, she is a good Auror and a good girl. She is friends with the Weasley family, we can trust her. '' He said trying to convince Sirius.

Erin was speechless. What had he said about Dumbledore?

''He didn't say a thing to me.'' She murmured.

''I don't doubt her skills, I respect that Dumbledore considered her right for the Order. ''Sirius clarified. ''But I don't want problems of loyalty, Kingsley. This is my house and our only safe place. Snape might've comprimised us already. ''

The girl felt her stomach sank and she wasn't able to look at either of them. Did she look like a traitor? On the one hand, she understood what Sirius was saying bearing in mind what he had been through. Suddenly she realised something he had mentioned.

''Snape was a keeper as well. '' She interrupted. ''Merlin's beard, how many people know?"

Sirius stared at Kingsley and even though he had look pissed, he laughed. Erin was surprised to see him laughing like that.

''At least we agree.''

They all stopped talking and Kingsley and Erin followed Sirius to another room. It was a big space, with a kitchen and a living room with more fancy furniture. Erin would've been impressed if the house didn't seem so old. She followed them without saying a word, she was still processing she was going to live with Sirius Black. Who would've though?

''Are you willing to die to keep the secret? ''Sirius inquiered.

He stared at her, solemny. Next to Erin, Kingsley had frozen.

''Sirius.'' He tried to say.

''No.''He cut him off by raising his hand. ''This is between her and me. You've chosen the person, I choose whether she joins or not.''

Erin's heart was beating so fast she thought they'd be able to hear it as well. She understood again his suspiciousness but if he was talking about what she thought... Sirius' eyes were piercing her soul.

''Are you refering to the Unbreakable?''

When he nodded it felt to her that her whole body had been shaken. Sirius Black had been betrayed by one of his best friends, how could he trust her if she said no? Erin swallowed before grabbing his arm; she knew how it was done. Both of them grabbed their arms while one of them asked the question and the other answered. Another person had to pronounce the words. They were three. The situation couldn't be any better and Erin thought Sirius had it planned since the beginning. He'd been very clever.

She took his arm and spoke, trying not to show how her lips were trembling. Erin didn't dare to look away either.

''I'm not a Gryffindor but I can be brave.''

That sentence had become her personal motto. She always calmed herself down by thinking about it. Then, when Kingsley had already raised his wand with disapproval showing in his eyes, Sirius Black loosened a little and Erin's arm fell.

''I just wanted to know if you'd be willing.'' Erin sighed. ''You've passed the test so you stay.''

''Damn you, Sirius Black.'' Kingsley spoke, already smiling. He still had his wand in his hand. ''You almost gave me a heart attack.''

''I almost had a heart attack.'' Erin added. She had her hand on her chest. Her heart was beating fast again.

Sirius didn't say anything else but he was also smiling a bit when he sat on an armchair next to where they were standing.

''I have two requests. The first one: Harry's birthday.'' It was almost impossible not to see how his face lightened when mentioning his godson. ''And the second one, the following day, if this lady is a friend of the Weasley family, I believe we have a wedding to attend.''

Bill and Fleur! She suddenly remembered the wedding.

''It'd be very nice if we could go.'' She supported the idea.

If she was going to be trapped the whole summer, at least she wanted to enjoy a happy day with her friends. It'd be a spark of light between all the darkness. She couldn't feel better when Kingsley fell for it.

''You can go together as long as you don't leave the house for a long time, understood?''


	3. Chapter 3

Three

Kingsley leaved almost immediately after presentations, leaving Erin in the hall again with a rather curious Sirius Black staring at her.

''Don't you need to go and pack your things?''

''I have it all here.'' She explained showing her small purse. ''It's an extension charm, of course. Hermione Granger taught me how to do it.''

''Hermione Granger.'' Sirius repeated while moving along the corridor. ''A smart girl.''

An uncomfortable silence followed and Erin felt awkward as she had nothing to say. What were they supposed to do until Kingsley gave them instructions? He must have had something for both of them.

''You can stay in any room you like, but I recommend the last one to the right on the third floor. It's next to the bathroom and it has pretty good views.''

''Then that will do.'' She answered. ''Thank you.''

She didn't think she would like the decoration but that wasn't really important. It was surely way bigger that the one she had at her own place.

''I let you settle down. If you need anything look for me, and if you can't just scream.''

Erin raised her eyebrows and her lips curved up a little. Funny.

''Okay. See you for dinner?''

Sirius just shrugged.

''Sure.''

Having said that he left to some part of the house Erin obviously didn't know so she went upstairs looking for her new room. Some steps cracked when Erin stepped on them, making even more evident that the house was old. It wasn't that bad, it was definitely not falling apart, but it looked inhabited. The corridor on the third floor was a short one, so Erin found it easy to spot the room Sirius had talked about.

It was big, as she had imagined. There was a king-size bed with a headboard craved in wood, a chest of drawers to its right and a wardrobe bigger than she needed at the corner of the room. In addition, there was a window to the left side and even a small bench to sit down next to it. The room seemed gloomy but it was really pretty. There was nothing a couple of charms and a bit of skill with colours couldn't fix. Erin spent the rest of the evening organising her clothes in the wardrobe and putting the important things inside the drawers. She had also taken with her a picture with her parents and some books. That was going a good place for reading, she thought, next to the window. Time passed so quickly that she only realised it was already dark outside when she saw lights in the street. She then went downstairs hoping Sirius was already there. She just wanted to spend some time with him, considering there were going to stay together.

She went to the room she had been before with Kingsley and just as she had wished, Sirius was already there. Erin could hear another voice which she thought belonged to someone else but when she got to the living room she realised it was a house-elf. Sirius was sitting at the head of the table, holding a newspaper between his hands. He put it down when he saw Erin entering the room.

''Come here Kreacher. '' He called the elf. The creature obeyed but it walked slowly, mumbling things. ''Miss Hardy will stay in this house for some time, you will serve her as you serve me. Or better, I hope.''

''Yes, master.'' Kreacher replied. He turned one second to look at Erin and she saw he had blue eyes and a really pale and wrinkled face. A chill went down her spine. ''More blood traitors in the Black's House, what would Kreacher's mistress say!''

Erin sat next to Sirius and still looked at the elf leaving to the kitchen. She had never had a house-elf, she didn't plan to have one but if all were like that one she surely didn't want to get near one ever again.

''He is a grouchy all the time.'' Sirius told her. ''He's a bit round the bend and he barely listens to me.''

''Why is he still here, then? If you don't mind me asking.''

''He doesn't want to leave; he has always been loyal to my family. He is a good cook and I am a disaster with that, I assure you.''

Sirius stood up to leave his newspaper aside and made Kreacher served them dinner, then the elf left. Erin was literally starving and looking at the dish in front of her, it looked like Sirius was right. It smelled nice.

''Tell me, Erin.'' Sirius said once they had started eating. ''Has Kingsley told you to keep an eye on me?''

She stopped eating and took a sip of water. That sounded stupid.

''No.'' She replied putting the glass down. ''I don't think you need a babysitter.''

Sirius smiled at it and wrinkled formed around his eyes. Then he looked back to Erin.

''I don't think you need one either.'' He stayed silent for a moment as if he was thinking about something. ''You said you weren't in Gryffindor, was it Ravenclaw?''

Erin shook his head. No one ever expected an Auror to be a Hufflepuff but she didn't feel offended or upset. She was used to it.

''Actually it was Hufflepuff. Isn't it obvious?''

She took a glance at her clothes. She was wearing a plaid yellow and black t-shirt but she hadn't done it on purpose.

''I don't know, maybe you just liked yellow.'' Sirius added.

They kept eating in silence. Erin was happy to be there but she felt out of place in a house that wasn't hers with someone she barely knew.

''I'm sorry for what I said earlier.'' Sirius began to speak. Erin already knew what she was talking about. ''I wasn't going to make you swear an Unbreakable.''

''It's alright.'' Erin said with honesty. She understood it.

She always accepted apologies and Sirius had sounded honest as well so nothing was wrong for her. It was better to let it go and focus on what she should focus. When they were both done, they ate the dessert: apple pie. Erin loved anything sweet and even thought that wasn't chocolate, it was more than delicious. Then, they sat in the living room, each one of them in the corner of a long sofa.

''So you have been an Auror for two years?'' Sirius asked.

''Almost three.'' She corrected. ''My parents almost died when I told them during sixth year I wanted to be one. I was quite sure about it.''

Erin believed they should knew about each other so she talked to see what happened. The best way to know someone was to be known, that's why she was saying that. She wanted Sirius to trust her.

''They would've loved to have me at the shop one day when they retired, I'm sure of that. '' She commented. ''My parents are herbologists, you see, but I don't really want to bore you with those stories.''

She had suddenly blushed but Sirius encouraged her to continue.

''No, it's alright. I like to listen.''

Erin nodded. That man had spent more than ten years at Azkaban, with no one's company. _Of course he likes to listen, you idiot,_ she thought. She couldn't understand how he had managed to bare loneliness.

''They were very supportive. '' She went on. ''That's all I can ask from them. I know they suffer a lot because of my job and they will continue to do so.''

After Erin had said everything she felt very comfortable. A full belly, a warm room and a bit of conversation had been just enough to calm her somehow.

''Then you can't complain.'' Sirius said. ''My mother was a pure blood supremacist who went crazy the moment she knew I had been put in Gryffindor. The best thing that's happened to me, no doubt.''

Erin did not know a thing about that. Actually, she didn't know much about Sirius apart from the things the newspapers published and she was aware that she couldn't trust half of what they wrote. She kept listening, eager to know more.

''Everyone in the Black family had been in Slytherin so they didn't like it. They didn't like anyone who opposed their ideology, anyway.''

Sirius put his head down for a moment as if the subject affected him. Erin decided to pick up the Prophet and change the topic of the conversation. It was better than being silent. She looked at the cover, a full page devoted to Dumbledore with a picture in its centre.

''What are we supposed to do now?'' She asked grabbing the newspaper.

Sirius had stood up.

''Have a meeting with the whole Order to begin with. Then we can decide.''

''Should I write them?''

''We can deal with that tomorrow.'' Sirius said, leaning against the sofa. ''Don't worry.''

Erin stood up too, she had caught the message. She left The Prophet on the table and took a few steps to be closer to Sirius.

''I hope we can get along.''

It had been a nice dinner and a nice chat. She was trying to do her best; loyalty and friendship were the most important thing for her. She wanted to please Kingsley, yes, but she wanted to have a new friend too. And Sirius? He was someone to be admired, at least for what she knew.

''I'm sure we will.''


	4. Chapter 4

_Four_

The first thing Sirius noticed about Erin Hardy was that she was an efficient witch. He hadn't heard a thing coming from downstair and yet she had been awake for a long time when Sirius walked into the living room. It felt weird to find her there in one of his armchairs while she worked. When Kinglsey had told him someone would act as a spokesperson for the Order he had imagined and old Auror, bored of his job and the Ministry. Instead, now he had a kind and polite young woman as a partner. At least, that was all he had seen so far.

It had been a long time since Sirius had shared his house with anyone and it had been even longer since he had talked to someone he hadn't known before Azkaban. Except for Harry's friends, of course. Erin had her long blond hair pulled back in a bun and was holding a pen. She had placed her papers on the table in front of her, in two piles to be exact and she was still writing. Sirius had told her they could handle the meeting that morning but he hadn't expected her to finish so soon. Erin was so focused on what she was doing, her green eyes jumping from page to page, that she did not notice his presence.

"Morning." Sirius said. Surprised, Erin had almost jumped. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes." She answered putting the pen down. "I hope you don't mind."

Sirius shook his head.

"My house is your house."

He entered the kitchen without seeing Kreacher around though he didn't need him in that moment anyway. A coffee was more than enough for that morning. Had it not been for Erin not so far from him and for the promise he had made to Remus, he would've probably filled it with something else. It was not like he was turning into an alcoholic but he did drink. He had a godson now to take care about, a house and a whole life to enjoy but it was not easy trying to win back the twelve years he had lost. Having Harry had helped but some days he barely felt like leaving his room. The only thing nobody could deny was that he was trying. Some days were better than other, he thought while he sipped his coffee. He would try to make this a good day for everybody's sake. He didn't want the meeting to be a complete disaster; he didn't want to worry anyone else. Above all, he wanted to prove himself he could overcome everything he had been through.

"Is Mundungus Fletcher a member of the Order?" He heard Erin asked.

He turned to her and nodded.

"If I am not mistaken, we investigated him for robbery."

The young woman stoop up with a paper in her hand. Sirius knew what she was talking about and by the expression in Erin's face, she didn't trust him very much either. She was frowning now.

"That's true." Sirius confirmed. "He took some things from this house."

Erin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she posed the list on the table where Sirius was.

"I don't get it. Are we supposed to tell him too?"

Sirius picked up the list and looked at it. Mundugus's name was written just like his.

"He is here." He said pointing at his name. "If Kingsley has made this list we should."

"It's not Kingsley's." She corrected Sirius. "Dumbledore did it shortly before passing away. I think you should look at it."

Then Sirius went on to read the sheet more closely. The first face was almost mostly composed of members of the Weasley family: Molly, Arthur, the twins, Bill and his fiancée Fleur; then there were Remus, Tonks and Alastar Moody. On the next side it was true that Mundungus, Sirius and Erin herself appeared among others and at the end of everything Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"They are supposed to be members of the Order. I had not looked a lot into it until I started writing the letters, for being the spokeswoman you know." She explained. "Do not you think there's something strange?

Sirius still had the list in his hands. He looked back at her out of the corner of his eye, that was Dumbledore's handwriting. The curvature of the letters and the tiny spaces between the words made it clear.

"Harry and his friends are still minors." Sirius thought that they had not acted with the Order either before Dumbledore died. At least officially. "We did not accept you and Fleur until recently."

"That's true. But I'm more worried about the fact that Dumbledore did not include himself on the list. Snape is not there either, as if it were something he had prepared for the future."

Sirius had not realized that, it had seemed obvious to him that the professor was part of the Order because he had founded it. In addition to being efficient, Erin also seemed very observant. After what she had said to Sirius another thought crossed his mind.

"It's almost like he had known what was going to happen to him." Said Sirius in a low voice, maybe not enough because Erin had listened to him. He saw her look down, while she pressed her lips tightly.

She sighed and went back to pick up the list from the table.

"I'll send the letter to Mundungus, too, then. " She had changed the subject completely. "Do you think we could have the meeting is this afternoon?"

Sirius barely had to think about it. That was very urgent, the longer it took for them to get together, the easier it would be for the Death Eaters to find them. They had to act.

"Alright, yes."

Erin sat back in the chair while nodding her head. Sirius watched her as she finished writing the letters and closed them, when suddenly Erin made half of them rise in the air. With a simple wand movement and some whispered words, the letters disappeared by means of an enchantment.

"Apparition." Sirius commented. "Very skillful."

Erin's eyes lit up and a big smile appeared in her face.

"And very fast."

It also required a lot of concentration and precision, Sirius thought, but she had used it as if it were another simple basic enchantment. She was an Auror and a good one.

The rest of the day went very slowly, with both of them awaiting the arrival of the rest. Neither talked anymore about what they could have discovered about Dumbledore's death. The first person who arrived was Remus along with Tonks, followed by Molly and Arthur Weasley. Sirius had expected a long line of redheads at his door, but it didn't happen. He saw a sad smile spread across Erin's face as she talked to Molly, whom she had come out to meet. She only changed his face a little when Ron and Hermione appeared later, with Harry at their side. Sirius also approached then, rushing to embrace his godson. They had not seen each other since the previous September and he hadn't expected him come.

"How are you, kid?" He asked when they separated.

Harry shrugged a little.

"Still ... impressed."

His godfather wanted to tell him that all of them were too, that it was normal but Harry seemed so hurt, with his green eyes so muffled that he knew there had to be something else. It was true that they had spent only the last few years together, almost four summers to be exact, but Sirius always knew when something bothered him. He was pretty obvious with his feelings, Harry, just like his father had been.

"Harry, do you want to tell me something?"

He put a hand on his shoulder and Harry looked back at him.

"I saw everything, Sirius." He said lowering his voice, trying not to be heard by anyone else. "Malfoy was supposed to kill him ..."

He pressed his lips together for a moment, so much that they were just a thin line. He was trying to contain myself.

"He had to kill Dumbledore, but he could not do it. It was Snape."

"I know, Harry." Sirius did not let go. "Do you want us to talk about it later?"

Harry was hurt as Sirius was. Neither of them had ever liked Snape but it was Harry who was the most surprised. Sirius had always believed that Snape was not to be trusted and that had confirmed it. Besides, Sirius wanted to know everything Harry had seen to see if what he and Erin suspected could be true.

"Sure. "Harry said trying to smile a little.

The meeting was short but intense because they had different ideas of what to do with Harry after his birthday. They only agreed that they had to get him out of Privet Drive, send him somewhere safe, either the Burrow or right there. In the end, they decided they would move him to the Burrow for the wedding and then he would stay at Grimmauld Place. Another topic of discussion and even more controversial had been what to do with Hogwarts. It was full of Death Eaters and Snape would be the new director. This was not a safe place for children, Remus had said. Sirius had agreed with him, knowing that if they did not go there, they would fight.

Things got worse at that moment. Harry and his friends said they were not going to hide so they were not going to come back either. Molly Weasley was very far from Sirius at the table but he could still see how she was frowning.

"And what are you supposed to do, fight? You're sixteen!"

Ron was looking at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, trying not to turn to Molly. She was probably waiting for the girl to say something reasonable to make Harry and his son come to his senses, just as she always did. The rest of them were silent, even Sirius was. He was almost biting his tongue because he remembered the last time he had argued with Molly. He did not want to have any more discussions with that woman, they already had enough differences.

It was Erin, coughing a little, who interrupted the discussion. She had barely spoken, just to introduce himself to Moody and again when McGonagall had asked her a question. From what Sirius had seen, he had spent the entire meeting writing down what they were discussing so she could tell Kingsley. A couple of times, when Dumbledore had been mentioned, Erin had looked at Sirius as if she expected him to say something. It was clear that she didn't dare to say anything (because she had barely been in the Order for a day) but Sirius did not want to say anything either before talking to Harry.

Erin set her pen aside and looked at Molly, who was two seats to the right of the girl.

"They are already involved." She said, very calm. "All of us will be sooner or later."

Molly was watching her with her eyes widely open, Erin was not expected to contradict her, but she quickly recovered herself.

"You are involved because you are an Auror, Erin." She answered. "Ron hasn't even finished school and if he doesn't go Ginny won't want to go either."

Erin picked up her pen again as she bit her lip. Then Remus spoke again, supporting her and the boys.

"We were approximately his age when we first joined the Order." He explained. "We need people just like we needed them the first time."

They kept arguing until Arthur said it was okay for him if that was what they wanted to do and Molly was looking daggers at him.

When everyone had left and there were only Harry, Arthur and Molly in the house, Erin called the latter before she left. She had the impression she had disappointed her for not being on her side but she really believed that Molly was saying no for no reason. They were no longer children and the things that had happened to them were very different from the ones that other kids their age had experienced. The battle in the Department of the Mysteries of the previous summer was a very good example.

"Molly." She called her to get his attention. "I didn't mean to bother you."

"I could never get mad at you, Erin." She answered.

"But you're angry."

Molly shook her head.

"I don't want anything to happen to any of them. I don't want anyone to be in danger."

Erin knew how that felt, that's why she dedicated herself to what she did.

"But I guess one day I'll have to let them go. " She added.

"You do not have to let them go, just ... give them more space." She said, thinking about her own mother and herself.

The woman smiled a little and Erin relaxed. Molly was like family and she didn't want it to change for a silly discussion.

"Say hi to Fred and George for me." Said Erin. "And to Ginny too."

Arthur and Molly left using the Flu powders and although Erin did not want to continue feeling guilty, the knot in the stomach did not disappear.

* * *

 **So, it's been a very long time since I uploaded. Yep. I don't want to make excuses but it's been a pretty crazy year for me. I went abroad to study in England for some months, came back home, felt a rush of inspiration and started writing again. Sadly, then my grandmother passed away a bit suddenly and I didn't feel like writing at all. It's been better lately and I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I also uploaded the story in Spanish twice very recently so I'll try to catch up and translate the eleven chapters of difference as soon as possible. As you know it's a lot of work and I don't recommend you to try and read the story in Spanish with the google translator, it's shitty, trust me.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Julia**


	5. Chapter 5

_Five_

Sometime between five and six in the morning, Erin woke up feeling startled. She hadn't had a nightmare or anything like that, but once she woke up she wasn't able to fall sleep again. It was very early but it was so hot that the sheets were stuck to her. She pushed her hair back from her face and stood up to go to the bathroom. She would go back to bed later again because she had spent the night contacting Kingsley after the meeting and she felt exhausted.

The house was in total silence. Erin moved slowly to the door next to her room, which was the bathroom, yawning. Her hands were already on the doorknob and she was about to enter when, to her surprise, the door opened from the other side. She almost collided with who she thought was Sirius, until she saw that he had shorter hair and was certainly shorter and younger than him. It could not be Sirius, as far as Erin had seen, there was a bathroom on each floor.

"Harry?" She asked hesitantly.

The boy leaned back when he saw Erin, looking scared. His hair was uncombed and he was not wearing his glasses.

"Merlin, Erin." He wrinkled his nose a little, as if he could not see her properly. "I almost forgot that you were here."

"I didn't know you had stayed either." She defended herself.

"I had to talk to Sirius and in the end I was quite late."

Erin nodded a little. Harry still hadn't moved from the door.

"Oh." He said when he saw that Erin was not moving either. "You were going to the bathroom, of course."

The two blushed, it was a somewhat embarrassing situation although it was not the first time they had both seen each other in their pajamas. Not after all the nights they had spent at the Burrow.

"See you for your birthday, Harry." Erin said. "Don't get into trouble."

Harry smiled a little as he walked down the hall. It was ironic that someone who was only a few years older than him was telling him that, but Harry liked Erin.

"Trouble usually finds me."

After that fortuitous encounter, the first week for Erin in the Black mansion passed in the blink of an eye. She spent most of her time reading the reports she had brought about the most dangerous Death Eaters, or potential ones. Setting patterns about their movements was essential to stop them even though she would've liked to do this more directly than dealing with paperwork.

She was almost all the time in her room and only saw Sirius while eating or once in a while in the stairs going from one floor to another. In one of those moments, without thinking it through, she dared to ask if she could change the decoration of the room. It didn't bother her a lot but she was going to spend so much time there ... She had thought his answer would have been bad but Sirius had laughed and told her that he hated that bloody house and that she could do anything she wanted. Literally.

By the end of the week she was done with it. While looking at the final result, she thought about calling Sirius. It had been a few days since they had had a real conversation and she didn't want to look at more reports that day. She had no idea what he could be doing at the time, if he could be busy or not but she remembered what he had mentioned once and decided to just scream and see if it worked.

"Sirius!"

She didn't have to repeat it or shout louder because she immediately heard him climbing the stairs. When he reached the door of the room, he didn't even have to ask why she had called him.

The walls were painted in a light blue tone, the bed no longer had that bulky canopy and there were no dark-coloured carpets on the floor either. The space seemed much bigger and brighter. There was more life.

Sirius walked around the room looking at the shelves until he reached the window and the small seat in front of it. He extended his arm to touch some plants that Erin had put hanging over the window; they had white and blue flowers.

"Do you like it?" Erin asked behind him.

"I think I should reform everything." Sirius started to say. "And I'd let you do it."

Erin smiled although he couldn't see her. A comforting feeling grew in her chest as she listened to his words. Then, Sirius turned around.

"Any suggestions?"

"A couple of plants in the living room?"

Sirius sat down by the window, still looking at everything.

"Reasonable, coming from you." He replied as he remembered that Erin's parents had a store dedicated to herbology . "I've had some, but they always die."

"A cactus, then. You don't really have to water them."

Erin had also sat on the edge of her bed, facing Sirius.

"So what's so interesting about having plants if you don't have to water them?"

She tilted her head a little, he was right.

"I don't know. I don't like them too much."

Erin preferred roses or just nice-looking flowers, anything that was colourful and smelled good.

Sirius stared at the stack of papers Erin had on the desk and pointed at it.

"Is that what you've been doing?"

"Yes." Erin sighed. "I won't to touch them again in a long time."

Sirius looked at her throwing her head back as she sighed. Erin had big dark circles under her eyes too. She looked tired.

"If you want something more appealing to read, you can go to the library."

"Of course you have a library." She said, making Sirius smile a little.

Erin followed him downstairs after Sirius got up. They went down to the first floor, passed the living room door and turned left. She had hardly seen anything of the house, but Erin was already impressed by how big it was. She suspected that she would still see more things that would surprise her.

The library had at least four rows of shelves on each side of the room with chairs in the middle and a table. There were shelves that almost reached the ceiling of the room. Now it was Erin who was impressed, as Sirius had been before.

"There are Muggle books on this side." Sirius said, pointing to the first row in front. "The rest are all about magic."

Erin went to the shelf that were Muggle books and thought it was like being in heaven.

"Oh." Sirius remembered something. "I haven't been able to get rid of all the books about black magic. I wouldn't look too much into the shelves at the back If I were you."

Erin muttered a _yes_ while thinking that she would never do. She hadn't dared to enter the forbidden area of the library at Hogwarts, so there was no way she would look at its equivalent in that house. She turned around and thanked Sirius. She had something to do for the rest of the day: find a book she liked.

"Can I ask you a favour?" Sirius asked.

"Sure."

She had answered with no hesitation.

"I'm having dinner with Remus tonight. Can I trust you to take care of the house?"

Sirius's tone of voice had sounded more like the one he had used the first day they had met. He was more serious but he also seemed to be hesitating. Of course he was not referring to the house at all, it was more a hint that shouted, _can you be trusted at all?_

"Yes." Erin answered. She knew her responsabilities very well.

In fact, that was the reason why she was there: stay in the house, take her notes ... Sirius had already spent plenty of time locked up there and someone had to stay as a precaution, in case Snape revealed that place to someone else.

Remus had invited Sirius to his house couple of days ago but Sirius had been thinking about it. His instinct told him that Erin could be trusted. She was quiet, polite; she seemed extremely hardworking and loyal. He had been told so but he had seen it too. However, a part of his mind told him that Peter Pettigrew had also been quiet, polite and loyal.

It seemed foolish not to trust Erin after those first days in which he had get to know her. He decided to shut that part of his mind as quickly as possible. Someone had betrayed him once, but it didn't mean it would happen to him all again and again.

When Sirius returned home, late at night, he saw a light on coming from the third floor, from Erin's room. He leaned out a little at the door and saw her with a book in her hands, curled up in the armchair. She hadn't seen him but Sirius smiled anyway as he went down the stairs. The house had not exploded nor was it full of Death Eaters.

Erin Hardy was nothing like Peter Pettigrew.


	6. Chapter 6

_Six_

While Sirius looked at the newspaper that morning he experienced a feeling of déjà vu. A little more than ten years ago, he had gone through similar situations, with the difference that at that time, he was younger and more arrogant and he had not suffered the worst years of his life. However, he still felt the same impulse inside that called him to do something; the same anger ran him up and down.

He dropped the pages he was reading and clenched his fists without realizing it. Erin did see it and started to wonder what he was reading.

"Something has happened?" She said raising her voice.

Sirius didn't take his eyes off the newspaper while answering.

"There has been an attack in a muggle town. Six dead and three injured." He paused and almost murmured. "Two were children."

Erin had paled. Sirius got up with the newspaper in his hands to show her while he was still talking.

"They say it was a fire." Then he shook his head. "Anyone would know it's a lie."

 _Death Eaters,_ Erin thought. Her eyes flew quickly to the news, searching for the name of the town. Her heart was cramped. She let out a big sigh when she saw that she didn't know the place where it had happened.

"My grandparents are Muggles." She explained to Sirius. It may have seemed strange to him that she was relieved. It was not her family but Erin felt as hurt as if it had been hers. "My father is the only one in the family who does magic."

Sirius nodded, still with the Prophet in his hands and frowning.

Erin looked away for a moment. Kingsley had not warned him, nor any of her partners. Now she was in the Order and yet nobody warned her of anything. She felt disappointed and frustrated, stuck in that house where there was nothing she could do to help anyone. She looked back at Sirius. He didn't look like the kind of man who hid while someone needed help.

"We must go." Erin said. "I want to know what happened."

Sirius stared back, and watched as the girl's eyes gleamed. He hadn't heard her speak so decisively so far. She hadn't even doubted or said that _she_ had to go, she was the Auror anyway, but she had included Sirius immediately.

 _We must go._

Neither of them hesitated.

* * *

The sidewalk tiles were as black as Sirius's shoes. They were still cleaning the street around the houses that had burned but the ash was difficult to wash away.

They had been pretty fast, Erin and Sirius, although they had appeared outside of the town.

Erin had moved closer to one of the houses along with a group of people watching, surely more Muggle neighbours. Sirius stayed behind, seeing how the sidewalks watered and returned to their original colour. A police tape surrounded the area, waving in the wind.

Sirius was having a hard time not thinking about James and Lily. After so many years, so many long nights with the moment repeating itself in his head, the scene would never be erased from his mind. Unlike what had happened before, those Muggles were side effects of a fight that wasn't theirs. Sirius was furious again because what the Death Eaters had intended was exactly that: kill innocents to scare them and make them angry. And they had succeeded. Two houses were reduced to nothing; all that remained was ash and part of the foundations. There were no more houses around until a couple of streets to the right, so the area was deserted.

Sirius moved forward to look for Erin, who seemed to be talking to a woman. As he approached he realized they were indeed talking. The woman couldn't be more than forty years old and held a handkerchief while gesturing with her hands.

"It was very fast." That was the first thing Sirius heard. "About half past eleven someone saw the smoke and approached. A couple of hours later everything had burned."

Erin observed the woman with a serious face although she turned a moment to look briefly at Sirius. He was wondering what Erin had asked the woman to tell her that. The woman wiped her tears with her handkerchief and blinked a couple of times while her gaze went from Sirius to Erin.

"I've never seen you in town." Beside her, Erin tensed a little. "Are you journalists?"

"No." Erin replied quickly. "This is my cousin. Our great uncle lives here alone, you know? We were afraid it had been him."

Sirius was surprised to see how the lie flowed so naturally from Erin's mouth. Her voice had trembled a little but the woman seemed so distressed that she hadn't even noticed. Still, they had been close.

"A tragedy." Sirius spoke for the first time. He didn't have to lie. "Those poor children ..."

The woman nodded vehemently while Erin had her eyes fixed on the house.

"It must've been the lightning." The woman commented.

"The lightning?" Sirius asked.

"Yes." She answered. "At eight o'clock my children went to bed. The sky was so dark that it seemed that a storm was coming. I heard a thunder but in the end it didn't rain."

Sirius knew exactly what he was referring to and looked for Erin, although she seemed to be focused on other things. What the woman told him afterwards only confirmed it.

"It was so strange. My little boy even said that there seemed to be a huge skull in the sky. I did not think so ... but anyway, you know kids have a big imagination."

Sirius nodded a little. The child had a lot of imagination as his mother said or he'd witnessed the mark of the Death Eaters appearing.

"I hope your uncle is well." The woman said. "Goodbye."

She turned to go to the sidewalk opposite and Sirius muttered a goodbye. It was more than clear that this was the work of Voldemort's men. He met with Erin in front of the second house, just as destroyed as the first one. Erin didn't look good. Judging by the way she squeezed her lips and her brows furrowed with sadness, the girl must've been thinking about what would've happened if that had been her family. Or maybe she had some worse thoughts; maybe she believed they could be the next.

"What do you think?" He asked, referring to what had happened.

"It was what we thought. It's very likely they used _incendio_." She answered lowering her voice. "A normal fire does not consume a brick house so quickly."

Sirius nodded, wishing it hadn't happened. They hadn't published anything in the Prophet about what had happened to the victims but he didn't want to imagine it.

They both left the village and returned to the same place where they had appeared to return to Grimmauld Place. Neither of them said a word until after they appeared. There was nothing pleasant to talk about.

It was Erin who broke the silence, already inside Sirius' house. The first thing she had done hadd been to drink a glass of water and she still had it in her hands while she thought. Sirius sat in the lounge chair. He wasn't tired, but the incident had reminded him of things he didn't want to think about.

"I should visit my grandparents." Erin said a few meters away from him, while she put the glass down. It seemed more like a thought she had said out loud. "Soon."

Sirius swallowed. He knew well why she'd said it and sadly, it was true.

"You were that scared the first time?"

Now she had talked directly to Sirius. Erin moved to sit in front of him and Sirius almost didn't even have to think about it.

"Yes."

He remembered what it was like to fall directly into a war when they had just finished their studies, all the separations, the need to hide and all the distrust they had felt about anyone.

"How old are you?" Sirius asked, realizing that she might be the same age as him in the first war. "Twenty one?"

Erin nodded while looking at him. Sirius thought she had seemed older all morning, acting so serious. Actually, Erin was no little girl anymore.

"I was scared to death with your age." _And_ _with the same age_ _they put me in_ _Azkaban_ , he fell silent. "And I still am now, with that I can't help you."

It was true, perhaps he was no longer afraid of what might happen to him but he was terrified to think about what could happen to Harry. The war was panic, confusion and fear and that would never change.

Erin hadn't changed her face full of worry even though Sirius hadn't intended to disturb her any more than she already was.

"I'm not good at comforting anyone." He recognised. "I wish I could tell you that this will be over soon."

She smiled a little and got up ready to go up to her room. They would have to make sure it ended as quickly as possible.

* * *

 **A bit short but I'm finally catching up. T** **hank you to everyone that has followed or put this story in their favourites.**

 **I'd love to hear your opinion, good or bad, comments are welcomed!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Seven_

Fortunately for everyone, the following morning did not start with more bad news. Erin had spent the whole afternoon with the thought of her family stuck in her mind and had ended up writing to her parents. Still, that had not reassured her. She was relieved that at least Kingsley had not contacted her about any other incident. She'd been thinking about something she wanted to try for a few days but she didn't know if she would be able to carry out her idea. She took her stack of papers, more paper and ink to write and headed for the library. Maybe there she'd find some enchantment that would help her achieve what she wanted to do.

Erin came down the stairs carefully because she could hardly see if her feet reached each step with all the things she was carrying, and she did not want to spill all the ink on the floor. She had already reached the last stretch when, as she lifted her head, something caught her attention and made her stop. The painting she had seen on the stairs when she'd arrived was uncovered, unlike the rest of the days she had looked at it. She retraced her steps holding everything as well as she could and leaned a little over the painting. She'd barely had time to study it, to realize that it was a portrait, when the old woman who was painted began to scream at the top of her lungs.

The young woman jumped in the place and some of her papers escaped from her embrace. She bent down to try to pick them up before they fell to the floor with her heart racing, and as she did so, the container with the ink also rushed down the stairs.

"Damn it." She muttered annoyed.

The woman in the painting was still shouting.

"A half-blood in my house! What a dishonour. Shame on the house of my fathers!"

Erin's only desire was to cover her ears, or better, to quieten the horrible woman with gray hair and wild eyes at last. She shouldn't have looked, she thought regretting it. She went down the rest of the stairs and put her things on a step that was not stained with ink, to collect everything she'd thrown away. She heard a noise to her left and when she turned her head, she saw Sirius approaching from the corridor that came from the library.

"I see you've met my dear mother, Walburga." He spoke as he approached her. Then he started to shout at the painting to shut up. "Sorry about that, don't listen to her."

"She's charming." Erin answered sarcastically.

Picking up her papers, she realized that some of them had become almost incomprehensible; so much ink stained them that she could hardly understood what it was written. She'd made such a mess only because she'd been scared by a stupid painting. Sirius had also bent down to help her and looked at her holding a paper.

"I hope it wasn't very important."

"I'm afraid it was."

Erin would have to find a way to return everything to its original state or else, she would have to find another copy.

"Were you going to the library?" Sirius asked.

Erin nodded.

"Then I'll collect your things." He said pointing to what Erin had left above, undamaged.

"I can take it, don't worry."

She didn't want to bother him.

"You haven't seen yourself, Erin." Sirius began to say. Suddenly he took a couple of steps towards her and reached out his hand. He left it stretched out near her cheek. What was he doing? "But you have some ink in your hair."

Sirius had a small smile on his face and Erin found it impossible to get angry, it was better to laugh about having got so dirty.

"How much is some?"

"Well...quite a bit." He said touching her hair.

Sirius retreated backwards and Erin noticed how her cheeks burned. Why did she have to blush so easily?

"I'll leave everything in the library. I'm going to have Kreacher clean all this up." He frowned a bit but continued to look at Erin with kindness. "I'm sure this has been his doing."

It did not seem very far-fetched that the elf had done so in order to annoy either of them. Erin tried not to give her incident too much importance while washing her hair but wished with all her strength that when she went back down the woman would be quiet. Luckily, she and although Kreacher was cleaning the stairs he didn't even look at her while she went to the library, her hair still wet.

"Was your mother like that while she lived?" Erin asked Sirius once she got to sit in an armchair next to him.

She had her things on the table in the centre of the library and it seemed Sirius hadn't even touched them.

"Practically the same." He answered. "And the worst thing is that damn painting is fixed with magic."

Erin thought it must've been very difficult to have to put up with Walburga. What kind of person chose to portray herself like that in order to torment those who step on her house? She was starting to think the only decent person from the Black family was Sirius. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye as he wrote something down in a kind of magazine and began to think about how close he had been to her when he had told her she was stained. She couldn't deny that she had already noticed that Sirius was attractive, she was sure that most women with eyes considered him so, but she had not considered until that very morning what it was that made him look exactly like that.

He'd grown a beard during that week and it looked pretty good on him. Even the old clothes he wore when he was at home suited him. Erin shook her head lightly and looked away, thinking it was stupid to be distracting herself like that when she had so many things troubling her.

"Did I interrupt you before?" She asked him. "Were you doing something important?"

"If you consider doing crosswords important." Sirius replied with a shrug.

He had turned a little to look at Erin and show her what he was doing.

"I love doing these". He murmured as if he were speaking to himself. Then he raised his voice again. "By the way, I had forgotten to tell you two letters arrived for you earlier."

Having said that, Sirius got up from his seat, picked up the two letters from the table and handed them to Erin. He sat back down while Erin turned all her attention to the letters. Maybe her parents had answered her, or Fred and George had finally written to her. She took one of the letters and opened it quickly to see that, as she had wished, Fred had written to her.

At the beginning of the letter he talked about how they were doing with the store and what they were planning next. Erin smiled thinking how proud she was of her friends being able to maintain a business of that type in an era with such uncertainty. Then, he asked her how she was doing and that comforted her. She'd had a very bad time before becoming friends with the twins and since then, they had always cared so much for her ... She would have to let them know that she was perfectly fine. Fred ended the letter saying hi in behalf of the whole family and asking her to write to Ginny. Supposedly, she had spent all week wondering what Erin would be wearing for Bill and Fleur's wedding. The latter almost made him laugh because Ginny always looked pretty, no matter what she wore. She never cared too much about clothes, anyway.

Erin finished the letter with a smile on her lips which almost disappeared with the next letter. It wasn't because it made her sad, but it did surprise her. Nymphadora Tonks, or Tonks as everyone called her, had written her. She was a little older than Erin and was also an Auror so they knew each other but Erin sould only recall having worked with her once. They still had a lot in common as Tonks had also been a Hufflepuff at Hogwarts. She remembered she had thought earlier that Sirius was the only decent Black but Tonks was as well. She often forgot that they belonged to the same family. The truth was that if Tonks had contacted her, it must've been for a serious issue. And it was.

 _Dear Erin,_

 _You may be_ _asking yourself why I'm writing you this letter_ _._ _I don't want you to worry but I thought you should know what is happening._ _We have doubled the vigilance to Scrimgeour this week given the inactivity of the Death Eaters in regard to the Ministry._ _We suspect that the attack on the Muggle people was just bait, a way to distract us_ _while preparing for their true objective._ _A trusted ally we have within the ministry affirms Umbridge is developing a project for the registration of half-blood people and muggle-borns among others. Believing that it is the most intelligent thing to do now, I have presented my resignation as Auror (although that does not mean that I am going to leave the Order)._ _In this way, I hope that if the ministry does fall in the wrong hands both Remus and I will be safe._

 _I advise you to present your resignation, Erin although you are not obliged to do so._ _The person I've mentioned is willing to give you your file or destroy it so that no one has information about you._ _Please, think about it and contact me or Kingsley to plan it._

 _See you soon._

 _PD: I hope my cousin is treating you well xx._

Erin folded the letter in two and felt her stomach sinking. She was grateful Tonks had warned her when she didn't have to and that she had remembered her father was muggle-born. They were in potential danger. She didn't know how to feel about it; was she going to throw all the work overboard and just give up? After all the time she had struggled to get where she was, she was almost annoyed that she had to leave. Still, wasn't it more important to protect herself and continue with the Order?

She hadn't wanted to think about what could happen if Voldemort took over the Ministry but it seemed that from that moment onwards she was going to.

She had a lot to mull over.


	8. Chapter 8

_Eight_

Only two days passed when Erin made up her mind. A simple message and a planned meeting was enough to end all the work of three years. She did not know how she had been able to present herself at the Ministry to resign, what is more, her voice had trembled so much that she feared someone would think they were forcing her. Actually, she felt as if it had been the case but it was a decision she had accepted on her own; she had not told her parents or friends and she had only shown Tonks's letter to Sirius because she did not want him to worry while she was away.

What she disliked most, she thought, lying on her bed, was not having to make the decision. The thought that tormented her was that the first thing that had crossed her mind had been to ignore Tonks's warning. She was disappointed with herself because her first choice would have been incredibly selfish. Looking at her file, which she had been grateful to keep, she realised that she would have put at risk many people she cared about.

All her thoughts were interrupted by a couple of knocks on the door that made Erin breathe deeply. She knew it was obviously Sirius, and although she expected it, she did not want to face anyone. While the door opened, she just rolled to the other side of the bed, facing the door. She sat up when she saw Sirius standing there but already inside of her room. Erin's hair was loose and the white shirt that she liked so much was wrinkled completely due to the time she had been lying there. She had not even bothered to change her clothes when she had got back from the Ministry.

"Hello."

It was Erin who first spoke in a thin voice.

"Hello." He answered back. "I've already had dinner, aren't you coming down?"

Erin shook her head and for a moment she noticed a trace of concern in Sirius' voice.

"I'm not really hungry."

"So, have you resigned?" She nodded then as if it was something obvious and Sirius continued talking. "It was for the best. For your safety, above all."

Erin fell silent for a few seconds. She turned her gaze to the floor and as she listened at Sirius' fingers drumming on the door frame, she realized that he had not understood it well. It was clear that both knew each other better after almost twenty days alone in that house but they did not know _all_ of each other.

"I didn't do it for me." Erin clarified. "I did it for them."

They looked into each other's eyes and seeing that he was nodding this time, she knew that she would not have to explain that she meant her family.

"I can understand that."

Erin did not want to talk to anyone, that was true, but it would not hurt her either, so she sighed and decided that she could try to explain it to him.

"I didn't want to do it." She murmured. "And now I feel so-"

"Guilty or selfish?" Sirius asked, interrupting her.

She was surprised that he had caught it so quickly.

"Both."

"There is nothing wrong with putting yourself first." Sirius said. "Sometimes it's easier to act like that."

If Erin had to choose between herself and someone she cared about, she knew she would never chose herself first. Erin suspected that he was not that kind of person either, after everything he had suffered for his friends or for Harry, without going any further.

"I don't think either of us know how to do that." She pointed.

"I guess we don't." Sirius said with a slight smile.

After this he approached the door again and grabbed the knob to go back out.

"Some sleep will do you good."

After he spoke Erin got up from the bed to change her clothes. When Sirius was leaving the room he looked at her with his mouth ajar, as if he wanted to say something else. Nevertheless, he closed the door behind him and left Erin all alone with her doubts again.

* * *

It was a deafening scream, which would have been heard throughout the house, which put Erin on her feet. She did not have time to check what time it was or if she had listened well because her first instinct had been to get out of bed and grab her wand.

" _Lumos_." She whispered as she moved towards the door.

With the wand in hand, Erin thought that wandering into an old, dark house in the middle of the night was not her favourite pastime. Still, someone had screamed with a heartrending pain that had caused her to shiver from head to toe. The first thing that crossed her mind as she went down to the second floor was that it may have been the portrait again but she had only considered it to set aside the most logical option: it was Sirius who had shouted, that was almost certain. Could it be possible that someone had entered the house while they were sleeping? The prospect of Sirius being hurt made Erin walk more quickly to his room. She knew where it was but she had never been inside and when she found herself facing the door, only in her nightgown and barefoot, feeling the cold ground, she felt paralysed.

"Sirius?" She said at the same time as she opened the door slowly.

She did not know what she was going to find. A part of her did not want to discover it, but to run back up the stairs to the warmth and tranquillity of her bed. However, that part was not going to win that night.

Erin breathed a sigh of relief when the halo of light from her wand lit up the room and she only found Sirius. The feeling lasted only a second and the worry replaced it. Sirius was sitting on his bed with the sheets pushed aside. That would have been normal, but his face was dishevelled, as if something had horrified him and Erin could hear him breathing rapidly from the entrance of the room. She realised then, that it had simply been a nightmare, that she had been too paranoid and was violating his privacy right now. She took a step back but bumped into the leg of a dresser she had not seen, crushing the smallest toe of her foot.

"Merlin!" She shouted involuntarily, it had hurt so much that it had escaped from her lips.

Sirius turned his head to her then, squinting, because she was pointing directly at him with her wand.

"Erin?" He asked confused. "What are you doing?"

She lowered her wand so as not to dazzle him and realized that Sirius was wearing only shorts and a sleeveless top. Had she not been so terrified up until that moment, she would have blushed more than ever.

"You were screaming." She said steadily. "I thought something had happened to you or that someone had come in so ... I went down."

"I'm fine." He spoke, running his hand through his hair. "It was a nightmare."

"I don't know what you were dreaming." Erin began to say. "But you scared me, are you really okay?"

Sirius turned his back on her as he leaned toward the small table beside his bed to pick up his wand.

"I don't know." He admitted lighting up a small lamp. "It felt very real."

Erin stood without knowing what else to do while Sirius sat on the carpet and leaned back on the bed with his hand on his chest. She could tell he was still affected by whatever he had seen. She thought that perhaps she should not stay there any longer, feeling quite embarrased but Sirius kept talking and then she found herself sitting next to him.

"We were in the Department of Mysteries, as if it were the battle of last year again. Do you know what I'm talking about?" Erin nodded. She remembered that but she had not been there. "Everything happened in the same way, but in the end Bellatrix reached Harry and he fell down the Veil."

Erin swallowed. Nobody knew what the Veil was exactly, only that it was related to death and that was enough to give her goosebumps.

"Remus was holding me tight and I could only scream and scream while Harry-" Sirius stopped talking suddenly and looked away. He did not seem to be able to say anything else.

She understood perfectly then why he was so scared. She asked herself if this happen to him often. Sometimes it seemed like he did not rest at all so maybe he had nightmares more usually than she was aware of.

"But it was just a dream." Erin said. A frightening one, after all.

"Yes." Sirius answered. Then he turned to look at her. "I 'm sorry I woke you up like that."

Erin shrugged a little and wrapped her arms around her knees.

"It's alright." She said. "At least you know I'm going to run like a madwoman every time you scream to see what's wrong with you."

Sirius smiled a little and Erin felt satisfied. Her poor attempt to cheer him up had worked.

"And you will not hesitate to sneak into my room."

He said it with a grin on his face that made it sound like he meant something else. Erin felt the need to defend herself but could not help but laugh.

"Of course I had my doubts. You can always do the same and we are even."

Sirius did not look away from Erin and she felt her cheeks burn when he answered her. Both were just playing along.

"If I didn't know you I'd think you were proposing something indecent."

She muttered something under her breath as she shook her head and Sirius looked away laughing. He seemed to have calmed down already.

"Erin." He turned serious again. "I didn't want to bother you, but it's good to know someone cares about me."

"It's the least I can do."

She thought about how Sirius had welcomed her after the first few days, making her feel like she was in her own house, letting her do everything she wanted and asking her if she was okay when things went wrong. Like that afternoon. She did not feel obligated at all, because her appreciation was growing little by little within her.

"I was worried before you arrived because I thought I wouldn't get used to seeing someone else in this house, every day. I truly detest this place because for me it represents what my family was. I always wanted to get away from it as much as possible. Being here I feel that everything turns against me again."

Erin looked at Sirius without saying a word but as he seemed to be taking a weight off his shoulders she listened.

"But suddenly you come with your good ideas, your flowers and all your joy. Harry and all his friends arrive, full of life, of energy; Remus and Tonks just as vital and in love as well ... and it's impossible for me not to be happy. You all are helping me a lot. Solitude is a very nice word, you know? but not what it implies."

He paused a moment to breathe and Erin realised, while she felt her shoulders rubbing, that she had run out of words. Did he just include her with them people he loved so much? This was not what was expected at all, but it was more than comforting to hear it. Erin had stopped breathing.

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm glad you're here and that I can count on you. I wanted to tell you before, when I went to your room, I thought you'd like to hear it but I didn't know if it was the right time."

"Sirius." Erin laid her hand carefully on his shoulder. "If you really feel everything you've said, it's always the right time."

There was someone she could try to make happy, someone she was really helping, Erin thought. That alone was enough to make her feel a little better about herself after having spent the whole afternoon punishing herself with rather negative thoughts.

Sirius did not miss how Erin's green eyes shone as he listened to her words. It was exactly what he had intended because he just wanted her to be fine, just as she had rushed to see if he was as well.

Erin got up with a smile from ear to ear and Sirius did the same, to return to bed. She walked to the door, pulling down her nightgown. She turned around before leaving and she dared to speak, not as he had done that afternoon.

"I know it's not my place to say and that I didn't experience what you did here. But something as material as a house, only has the value that you want to give it."

Erin closed the door after Sirius responded by nodding and smiled to herself, with a sense of relief in her chest. She was also more than happy to be there.

* * *

 **As usual thanks for reading and a shoutout to the new followers! Once again, I'd love to hear your thoughts, I'll update soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

_Nine_

Sirius was frowning completely. Unable to believe what he was hearing, he shook his head a little.

"How can you not like dogs?"

Erin was looking at him as if it were nothing special and shrugged. Sirius let his head rest on the chair he was sitting on and kept talking. They had agreed to work on something that she had come up with a few days ago but it kept being postponed; first it had been her almost falling down the stairs and then the visit of Kingsley a few days before to make sure everything was still in order.

"I don't think I want to know what your patronus is."

The enchantment always took shape from the animal the person had more affinity with but Sirius was not sure which one would be compatible with Erin. He imagined something soft, perhaps a little innocent but equally strong.

"It's not a cat, if that's what you're thinking" She answered. "It's a hedgehog."

A hedgehog? The truth was it seemed an unusual patronus. Sirius wondered for a moment what it might have to do with Erin.

"Yes, I know it's strange." She added before Sirius could say anything. He must have seemed surprised.

"Well, hedgehogs are pretty ... cute."

Erin smiled weakly and Sirius realized he was distracting her from what she really should be doing.

"Thanks?" She said, considering the spell was an extension of herself. "But they mean other things too. They are much more than they seem and they can defend themselves perfectly."

"It seems so." He murmured.

Erin leaned over the table and began sorting her things to work. Sirius sat up too, though he did not feel like doing much on that day. He had promised Erin he would help her. He kept Erin's words in his head and thought he would like to know how she was not exactly what she looked like.

"So what did you have in mind?"

He knew it was about death eaters and ways to locate them because he had watched Erin reading reports and consulting maps for days and days with no rest. Trying to stop them before they could plan something was intelligent but, just as the Order was good at hiding, Voldemort's followers were good at hiding as well.

"I've tried to find out where they can attack. Hogwarts will be mostly occupied by death eaters, although we have McGonagall , but we can't do anything there. We can't go on either if they plan another attack in some muggle town again." Sirius nodded as he listened. "If they took the Ministry we'd obviously find out, same with St Mungo's so I can only think of a place where they could attack and be really harmful."

It was clear she had prepared it well and thought it through, taking into account how Erin talked without stopping or doubting. Such frequented places would already be protected, they were not supposed to worry about them.

"Diagon Alley and its surroundings. I know it sounds a bit stupid, maybe even predictable, but we don't have any Auror in the area, at least that I know of."

Erin looked at him expectantly, seeking approval from Sirius, as if what she had said was truly stupid. Sirius did not think so at all.

"Is there really no surveillance?"

He received a nod as an answer and Sirius crossed his arms. Hundreds of people passed through Diagon Alley every day, to their jobs, to their parallel streets, to Gringotts ... It was a place worth protecting.

"You have a plan, right? Because we can't just spend all the day watching it over alone."

"Yes, although I don't know very well how to carry it out." Erin sighed and Sirius thought she was going to say again that it was something silly. It seemed she did not have a single drop of confidence in herself that day.

He nodded to encourage her to keep talking.

"When I was at Hogwarts, I don't remember exactly in what year or how they got it, the twins took a map of the entire castle. "She explained. "Every floor, every class, every hall of the castle appeared there. Some we didn't even know. All the people that were there were reflected on the map so I was thinking that perhaps with the right spells ..."

Erin was speaking very seriously but Sirius could not stop a smile from bursting into his face. He had to interrupt her. The map he was describing was _his_ map.

"The marauders map?"

He had not touched it in years; he did not even know what had happened with it. Erin crossing paths with it and then telling him about it was a matter of fate more than a coincidence. He was fascinated. However, Erin looked at him strangely nott understanding why he was so excited suddenly.

"Yes. Have you seen it before too?"

Sirius almost laughed and knew he was going to tell her the truth even though he was probably being very impulsive.

"Erin, you know two creators."

"I don't." She answered with her arms crossed. "They had some weird aliases, that I remember, Moony, Wormtail , Badfoot..."

"Padfoot, it's Padfoot". He corrected her. "And you do know them. You have one in front of you".

Taken aback, Erin opened her mouth a little, and to Sirius's surprise, she laughed while shaking her head.

"Seriously? If you are one, then I bet Remus is another one."

"Yes." Sirius replied, also smiling. "Remus is Moony, I'm Padfoot, James was Prongs and Wormtail, you know who."

He did not need to mention it because Erin already knew who he was referring to. She was still looking at him as if he were raving, frowning with a faint smile on her face. She seemed to be entertained with the situation.

"Where did you get those names? I can understand Moony and well, Wormtail for the rat." She was talking and reflecting on it at the same time. "Padfoot and Prongs?

"They came from our patronus" Sirius answered. "And from the shapes we adopted to help Remus during his transformations."

"I didn't know you were an Animagus. "Erin said.

"Very few people know it. I am not registered, neither none of us were."

Erin raised her eyebrows immediately but softened her expression again quickly.

"Remus is lucky to have such good friends."

She did not speak in the past and Sirius almost thanked her for that, because he did not want to remember that now there were only two of them.

"Have you ever seen anyone transforming?" He asked as he rose up.

"Don't tell me you're going to do that in front of me."

He laughed but didn't answer because he wanted her to really believe him. She had covered her face with her hands but was still looking between her fingers, ashamed but curious. Before she could even say a word there was a big black dog in front of her and she understood why Sirius had chosen Padfoot (and why he had been so offended that he did not like dogs). Erin got up slowly. Sirius had just transformed in front of her so easily that it was incredible that the animal in front of her was him. She extended her hand hesitating and the dog moved towards her with grace, almost without making a noise. Erin found herself running her fingers through his fur and caressed him. Then she turned around and from one moment to another Sirius reappeared, then Erin did seem astonished.

"That was awesome "She spoke. "And weird."

Sirius smoothed his hair and sat down again. Erin was still watching him with her face resting on one of her hands.

"How old were you when you made the map? You must've used higly advanced spells."

"We were still at Hogwarts." Sirius thought it had to have been a few years before finishing school, perhaps fourth or fifth grade. He couldn't remember it exactly. "Remus made the drawings, James and I handle the spells and track the areas. It was easier for us."

Erin listened carefully. They had been great wizards since they were very young that could not be denied, nor that they really wanted to help Remus. She was glad to know he had had someone there to help him. Sirius Black had seemed a mystery to her ever since it had been proved he had not been guilty, and at that moment he was only confirming it. Every day that passed she learned something else about him that surprised her.

"If you really believe that a map of Diagon Alley could work then I'm in. I hope that Remus wants to help us, because I am a terrible at drawing." Sirius said.

"It's fine by me." Erin said without thinking, she had a big amount of respect for Remus.

"It's a good idea, Erin." Sirius assured her. He wanted to let her know because it really was, and she had been beating around the bush for too long. "We've done it once, so it won't be that difficult. You just have to trust this old dog, for once."


	10. Chapter 10

_Ten_

A woman, a man and a dog stood by the Leaky Cauldron early on a Thursday morning. Those who saw them would find nothing shocking about them, but Erin felt nervous, expecting to be recognised at any moment. Remus had assured her again and again that no one knew that Sirius was an animagus, and it did not seem odd to see them both at Diagon Alley. At first the plan had been different; Erin was going to show up with Sirius only. Then, Remus offered to accompany her in case something happened so that Sirius would not be forced to reveal himself. The truth was Erin felt safer with Remus there as well. She looked down for a moment, observing Sirius in his animagus form.

"It still seems very strange to me." She commented out loud. "Is he comfortable like that?"

Remus shrugged.

"He always says that the only thing that bothers him about being a dog is fleas."

Erin grimaced, she never wanted to know how it felt like to have them. Remus spoke again.

"Shall we start?"

"Sure."

Erin took out her wand and used the sleeves of the jacket she was wearing to cover her hands, so people would not realise she was using it. It was not cold, but she had to hide it somehow. They both began to walk muttering the spells to avoid being heard although there was almost no one in the street at that time. The sun was already starting to rise so they had to hurry up. Sirius was ahead of them, but not too far from their sight.

They had agreed Erin would take care of the spell that allowed to track and locate the people who passed through the street. Remus had already traced the base of the drawing in order to adhere the power of the spells to the paper, and Sirius would cover all the possible corners he could get into.

Until halfway down the alley, everything went smoothly but when they reached the crossroads between Gringotts, which was on the right, and Knockout, the street next to the Alley, Sirius took a turn and Erin stopped dead. She had a horrible memory from a day she escaped from his parents' store because she was bored and ended up going down that street without realising it. It had been traumatizing for a ten-year-old girl to see a shop window full of small heads piercing her eyes.

"Erin?" She heard Remus calling her.

"I'm coming." She replied and squeezed her wand harder.

They had to include that street on the map whether they liked it or not because Death Eaters usually arrives at the Diagon Alley entering from there. Besides, it was childish to fear something like that at her age. Wasn't she an Auror? Erin walked again more quickly to reach Sirius and Remus while looking sideways at both sides of the street, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did in the end, nor was there any reduced head that made her get goose bumps. She just kept walking, though closer to Remus than she had been before. If he noticed she was afraid he did not say a word and Erin doubted very much that Sirius would have noticed. Even as a dog he still had the same bearing as in person, he moved with elegance and his black hair shone. The journey through Knockout barely lasted a few minutes and they were once again back in Diagon Alley. They passed in front of all the closed stores without a soul crossing with them, without anyone noticing what they were doing.

Erin was relieved because if it really worked, they were going to have a huge advantage, and what was more important: they could save a lot of people in the event of an attack. The days she had spent feeling useless had been worth it only for that moment.

Once they had almost finished walking the entire street, Sirius stopped in the middle of another intersection and Erin stood just as she had done before but this time it was not because of fear. She knew that street by heart, she could almost see the green door of her parents' shop from where she was and pictured her mother humming to herself while pacing around the shop.

"Are we done?" Remus asked.

They had reviewed the routes and streets they were going to follow before leaving the house and they all believed they had to stick the plan as much as possible.

"Yes." She replied.

"Let's go, then."

It would have been very easy to follow just a couple more streets and get where she wanted to be. However, Erin did not wish to have any special treatment. They could not add all the places the members of the Order frequented because that would be impossible. She herself would have to make sure her parents were safe if something happened there, that was all she could do.

The three of them returned to Grimmauld Place and Erin did not mention her thoughts. They went straight to the library, aiming to finish what they had started. Erin was still half asleep after having woken up so early and thought that nothing was going to make her concentrate more than a coffee. She was completely wrong. As soon as Remus placed the map on the table and Sirius laid his wand on it, Erin could no longer look away. She understood perfectly what Remus had referred to by fixing the spells on the paper. Rays of light spread over the parchment and new lines which followed the drawing Remus had made suddenly appeared. She had been surrounded by magic all her life, but she was still surprised by the most remarkable things. When it was her turn Erin couldn't believe she had taken part in it.

"I never imagined I would do this again." Remus said as he revised the map.

"This is crazy." Erin added. "Are you sure you were only fifteen when you made the map?"

Remus did not stop working while answering Erin, but a laugh escaped from his lips.

"Don't flatter us too much, it could go to Sirius' head."

Erin laughed too when he heard Sirius protest. They had been great wizards since a young age and that was one more evidence.

"To be honest, I don't know anyone else who has escaped from Azkaban." Erin pointed out. "And you, Remus, were by far our best Professor of Defence against the Dark Arts."

He pushed his wand away and smiled at Erin, who was sitting next to him.

"Well, thank you very much. You were already a great student then, Erin, and look at you now."

The truth was that she could feel proud of herself; Hufflepuffs had always been underestimated.

"You should think of a nickname." Sirius said. "To sign on the map, unless you want to use your name."

"Yes, I should." Erin admitted.

They were Padfoot and Moony for obvious reasons and even if she didn't find anything special to distinguish herself with, using her real name next to their nicknames would have stand out.

"You have a couple of days to decide. I think I should revise it properly before Harry's birthday, but we can't delay it more than that." Remus spoke.

Erin nodded. The time to take Harry to the burrow was approaching and so was Bill's wedding. There were barely three days left for the weekend.

"I'll think of something." She assured them.

After that Remus announced he would take the scroll to finish it and left the house, so Erin and Sirius were left alone again.

"I'm going to have a bath." He said. "I don't feel fully awake."

Erin understood it well and left the room to go the kitchen. She made coffee and then picked up a couple of biscuit to eat while reading something. She wanted to return to the library and wait for inspiration to come for her nickname. However, when she was about to turn in the hall, while taking a bite of a biscuit, she noticed a door partly open to the left. She had never seen it like that before and did not know what was inside. Erin did not consider herself a nosy person but at that moment, curiosity overcame the rational voice that told her it was none of her business. Hadn't Sirius told her to feel at home?


End file.
